Health rumors stoke curiosity in N. Korean documentary on Kim Jong-il

By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, July 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea says it is making a documentary series
that chronicles the life of Kim Jong-il, the first retrospective on the
authoritarian ruler that analysts say is reminiscent of one produced before his
father's death.
Following photographs that revealed a gaunt face, drooping lips and shrunken
physique, reports about the documentary now in production raised the question
that outside watchers have long brooded on since Kim's alleged stroke last year:
Is the "Dear Leader" preparing to pass the baton?
Seoul officials admitted the documentary is unprecedented for Kim, but drew a
clear line between fact and speculation.
"Documentaries about his activities have been made regularly, but this is the
first one that deals with his entire life," Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee
Jong-joo said.
"But our government will not rush to any kind of conclusion based on this fact
alone," she said. "It appears to be recounting the life of Chairman Kim Jong-il,
but how we interpret the task is a separate issue."
In dispatches on Wednesday, North Korean media said "part 1" of the multi-series
documentary film has been completed, and that it tells the story of his younger
days from his supposed birth on a sacred mountain to his rise as successor to his
father and the nation's founder, Kim Il-sung -- familiar stories that foster his
personality cult and would posthumously trumpet his leadership.
The first installment, titled "I Will Add Glory to Korea," has not yet been aired.
Cheong Seong-chang, an expert on the North's ruling family with Seoul's
non-governmental Sejong Institute, said the ongoing effort to turn Kim into a
legend is reminiscent of the way his father was made into a myth shortly before
his death at the age of 82 in 1994.
As he developed hearing problems and became too feeble to stand and walk alone,
Kim Il-sung had a memoir written and a retrospective documentary series produced
in the early 1990s. The film, whose title is roughly translated as "For the
Liberation of the Fatherland," was aired a year before he died of heart failure.
"I see a lot of similarities here. When Kim Il-sung started writing his memoir,
he probably had a sense that he didn't have long to live, like many others who
sense their approaching death and start chronicling their life," Cheong said.
"I believe Chairman Kim Jong-il also has come to a point where he has to look
back on his life. It would be improbable to make such a film without Kim
Jong-il's approval."
In video images last week, filmed during a memorial service commemorating the
anniversary of his father's death, Kim's hair was notably thinner, his build more
gaunt than when he attended a parliamentary meeting in early April, and the left
side of his mouth was drooping.
South Korean cable television YTN reported this week that Kim had been diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer around the same time he allegedly had a stroke in August
last year, and that he may die within a years' time.
But in the latest photographs released on Tuesday, Kim looked more active and had
a healthier complexion as he was shown walking around a tile factory and talking
to his entourage.
Cheong also noted the promotion of Choe Ik-gyu, Kim's long-time aide and former
movie director, to the post of Workers' Party publicity director earlier this
year. Choe's closeness to Kim is mentioned in the famous memoir by the film star
couple Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee, who were abducted to North Korea to make
movies for Kim in 1978 but fled the country eight years later.
"Choe has been with Kim longer than any other person and knows him better than
anyone ... He would be playing a key role in the movie production," Cheong said.
Kim Jong-il has yet to publicly name a successor, but is believed to be grooming
his third and youngest son, Jong-un, as his heir. Little is known about Jong-un
except that he was born to Kim's third wife Ko Yong-hui, educated in a Swiss
international school and now at age 25 or 26. He is said to resemble his father
the most in temperament and appearance among his siblings. If the son takes over,
it would mark North Korea's second hereditary succession, unprecedented in modern
history.
Jeon Young-sun, a North Korean culture and art specialist at Dankook University,
said North Korea's announcement regarding the documentary production was abrupt,
suggesting Pyongyang could be rushing towards a power transfer due to Kim's
health.
"Kim apparently has succession in his mind, making the movie while he is still in
power," Jeon said. "For the previous one (of Kim Il-sung), they took their time
and did it slowly. But for this one, they are in a hurry."
hkim@yna.co.kr
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